21 February 2013 - Getting ready for his six-month stay on the International Space Station, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano from Italy had an important task yesterday ­– testing some of the best Italian cuisine that he will eat in Earth orbit, including the first lasagne to be sent to space.

This is how it is made:

To prepare some special dishes for Luca, five-star chef David Scabin cooked up some classic recipes that were made spaceworthy by Turin-based company Argotec. Luca and his colleagues can feast on aubergine parmigiana, mushroom and pesto risotto and caponata, with tiramisu for dessert. The food is dehydrated by a special process to preserve flavour before being stored in aluminium bags to withstand launch vibrations.

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And I did not know that astronauts cannot consume salty food:

The final meal can be kept for up to 36 months and is free of salt. It has been found that salt can be harmful to astronauts’ bones while in space.

The 5-dish Space Food menu as requested by the European Space Agency and developed by Davide Scabin, an Italian chef who was given stars by the Michelin Guide: